Olympian Mirai Nagasu on having her period while figure skating: "You just stick a tampon up there"

Olympic athletes: they’re just like us. Well, most of us don’t train for hours a day, years on end, to compete in a life-changing competition that only comes around every four years. But besides that, they’re just like us. They love connecting with their fave pop stars on social media, like Adam Rippon tweeting Britney Spears. And they love a good breakfast sandwich, just like our girl, snowboarder Chloe Kim. And if there’s another 2018 Winter Olympic athlete we relate to on another level, it has to be Mirai Nagasu.

Maybe we’ll never make history like that, but Nagasu recently said something that anyone who’s ever had a period can relate to. In an interview withCosmopolitan, the 24-year-old candidly talked about dealing with cramps and the dreaded leakage.

Getty / Jamie Squire

While Nagasu didn’t have to worry about period issues during her record-breaking Olympic appearance (“I had my period on the way to the Games”), she has such a keep it moving attitude for handling her monthly when she’s on the ice.

"It's really not that big of a deal. You just stick a tampon up there."

But wait, what about an “oops” moment or a leak while wearing those barely-there ice skating uniforms and twisting and leaping and triple axel-ing for the world to see? That’s enough to give anyone anxiety, right?

Nagasu admitted she’s never had a leak on the ice and that “panty liners are super helpful if you just want to protect your underwear.” And if she ever did leak through one of her gorgeous ice outfits?

"You just have to pretend like it never happened."

Finally, while cramps can be debilitating or just downright annoying for many women, Nagasu uses her intense training to her benefit. She says exercise helps alleviate cramping.